As the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its fifth day, officials from both nations have met on the border of Belarus and Ukraine to discuss diplomatic talks.
The meeting was hosted on the border of the two nations and not in Belarus, as Russian forces are operating out of the country, launching a cruise missile at Kyiv from Belarus on Sunday.
Belarus leader Aleksandr Lukashenko hosted the face-to-face talks, the first held since the invasion.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared before the meeting that while he was open to talks, he was not hopeful it would end the hostilities, the New York Times reported.
The Kremlin also said before the talks that it would not declare its official position as Moscow continues its invasion of Ukraine.
"I suggest we wait for the talks," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, NDTV reported. "I would not declare any negotiating positions."
While discussions were held, three areas of Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, were hit with artillery as civilians who had been under curfew went to grocery stores and pharmacies.
The bombardment resulted in the death of at least 11 people while hospitalizing dozens, according to the head of the regional government, the Washington Post reported.
The delegation Zelenskyy sent included Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, a close presidential adviser, the deputy foreign minister, and other officials in his government.
During the talks, an adviser for Zelenskyy called for the retreat of all Russian forces from Ukrainian territory, but there has been no such action yet.
However, the Kremlin has only said it is willing to talk if Ukraine "demilitarize and denazify," the Post reported.
Ukraine agreed to the talks on Sunday as Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his nuclear and other deterrent forces to be on high alert.
A rare emergency special session is being held by the United Nations Security Council today as the U.N. looks to discuss the Russian attack on Ukraine.
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